


King of Hearts

by Lesbevian



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Angst, Forbidden Love, M/M, Prince Huang Ren Jun, thief jaemin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25278280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lesbevian/pseuds/Lesbevian
Summary: A few months before Prince Renjun is set to be married, he accidentally breaks into the home of a thief.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	King of Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Quick trigger warning before this starts, this story includes depictions of domestic abuse, as well as the death of a parent, and some subtle homophobia as this is set in a medieval kingdom. Please only read this if you know you'll be okay with hearing about those things <3

Huang Renjun’s father was throwing a ball for him to find a wife. It shouldn’t have been this difficult, but this was what it had finally come down to. Anyone could tell that Renjun was the prince just by looking at him. His features were perfection, ask any woman in the kingdom and they would all give you the same answer.

_“Prince Renjun must have been sculpted by God himself, he’s so handsome.”_ They would say, their eyes getting all dreamy and at times even watering. One day the Prince went into town without asking, and his father only found out because a girl fainted in the town square at the sight of him. He had relatively soft features, and he put on a cute smile when meeting with his “subjects.” If you asked any of the princesses his father had tried to set him up with however, they would all tell a much different story of the young prince.

_“Rude.”_

_Standoffish.”_

_"Spoiled.”_

_"Cold.”_

_“Full of himself.”_

The comments could go on forever, some of the girls were absolutely ruthless when the King asked what they thought of his son. His father would always reprimand him, telling him he was ruining their kingdom’s image. He didn’t really care to be honest. What was the King gonna do to him? Kill him? His only son? It wasn’t like the geezer could have another kid anyways, so Renjun grew up knowing he could do what he wanted. Sure, there was a bit of danger in leaving the palace alone, but that just made it more fun.

* * *

The room Renjun had resided in for his whole life was elegant. The palace was old, and the kingdom must have been already wealthy when it was constructed. Gold etchings were all over the black stone walls, as well as the marble floor. His furniture was elegant, a giant bed, a grand piano in the corner, statues near his door, a floor to ceiling mirror with a large oak dresser in front of it. His favorite aspect of his room however, was the bookshelf. It was dark oak, and it smelled horrible. His father told him his grandfather was a sea captain, and that bookshelf was in the captain’s quarters. It still reeked of saltwater and rot after all these years. The books inside of it were mostly dusty, Renjun never touched them. Why would he read in his bedroom when he could read in the library? One book from the library however was his favorite. A collection of poetry, of which his mother had read to him as a child.

The Queen never much liked Renjun’s father. Their marriage was exactly the kind Renjun did _not_ want. It was arranged, of course. Their family’s marriages had always been arranged. Whether it be for money, or to merge two kingdoms, or if the current King simply figured that they would be a good fit. Marriage to the Huang family was not a vow to love each other forever, but more of an obligatory business arrangement. They would get married, have one or two children, and that would be it. They didn’t have to speak to each other, aside from public appearances. The queen wasn’t concerned much with raising Renjun to be a perfect king. She hadn’t been born into royalty, and so she wanted nothing more than for her son to have at least a somewhat normal childhood. She was the reason why Renjun first began sneaking out. She would dress the two of them in dark cloaks and masks to hide their identities, and once a week they would go into town together.

The King was the complete opposite of his wife. Born into royalty, he carried himself as such. When he was in his late twenties the kingdom went to war. The former King never returned, but the then Prince did. Upon his return he was crowned King, and swiftly he found himself a bride. He chose her specifically simply based on her appearance, thankfully her genes were strong and Renjun looked more like her than his father. In Renjun’s opinion, the King never much cared for him. The King was always too busy to play, the Prince’s interests were always too childish, and the town was too dangerous. The King always claimed the reason he didn’t allow his son to go out for the past six years was because of the assassination of the Queen, but the Prince had other theories about what happened to his mother.

Within the months before the Queen was killed, Renjun saw her change. She would jump at the slightest noise, she began sleeping in a separate room from the King, their trips into town doubled, maybe even tripled. The most obvious thing however, was the argument Renjun overheard one night. He was walking to the kitchen for a glass of water, when his mother’s screaming voice rang throughout the hallways. She was pleading with someone, begging to leave the palace. Her voice shook and shrieked as she gasped for air in between choked out words.

“Please!” She screamed, “Just let me see them- Just once again.” Renjun could barely withstand hearing her like this. His mother, his source of strength throughout his then 13 years, was pleading upon ears that didn’t want to listen.

“They’re gone.” The King’s voice stated calmly. The halls went silent. It was deafening, the hot summer air was thick with dread. For a moment the whole world stood still, before the King began to speak again. “Your family threatened to stand in the way of our wedding, so the guards got rid of them.”

The wailing began again. Renjun covered his ears and ran away. He hid under his bed’s covers. He didn’t want to hear this, he didn’t want his mother to be in pain. He never mentioned it to her. He didn’t ask about her family. He continued on with his life and pretended it didn’t happen. He regretted never asking, but the day he saw her body he knew it was best that he hadn’t. ‘

* * *

The book of poetry Renjun’s mother had always read to him, was also on his bookshelf. The old oak one that smelt of the sea. One night, he couldn’t sleep. It was a few months before the ball to find him a bride. Afraid of leaving his bedroom to go to the library, he began scanning his bookshelf for something to read. The moonlight shone through his window, illuminating the dusty text on the spine of each book. His fingers graced over each book delicately, as if they old leather bound novels would crumble beneath him. Soon, his fingers reached the poetry book. Desperate for a connection to his mother, he grabbed it without hesitation. It wouldn’t leave the shelf, he could pull it forward, but only to tilt it before it was whipped back. A click could be heard, and as he stepped off of the floorboard in front of the shelf, it swung open to reveal a passageway behind it. Maybe his mother had known about the tunnel all along, or maybe it was just a coincidence, but he liked to think that she was looking out for him. Veins pumping with adrenaline and insomnia, he grabbed his cloak and mask from the wardrobe and ventured into the tunnel, closing the door behind him. The tunnel was dark, but an unlit torch leaned against the stone wall. He struck a match and lit the torch, continuing his journey.

After what felt like an eternity, he reached the end of the tunnel. It led to a door with a key hanging on the back of it. After unlocking the door he found himself in some basement he had never seen before. The walls were dirt, and the ceiling was rickety wood. Pillars held up the ceiling, shelves with boxes overflowing with jewels lined the walls. Lighting his way with his torch, he walked to a stairwell in the corner. There was light leaking from beneath a door at the top of the stairs. Carefully, after putting out his torch, he began to make his way up. Each step creaked as he walked. Just as he was nearing the last few steps, the door flung open. A man stood in front of him, illuminated by the upstairs light. His light brown hair was messy, and he was clearly in pajamas. One hand was holding the door open, the other was behind his back, presumably holding a dagger or something of the sorts.

“How did you get in here?” He asked as he moved out of the doorway, making way for Renjun to come upstairs. The house had only one room. The walls were stone, and the floor was the same wood Renjun had previously had above his head. The door to the basement jutted out over one corner, directly across from a makeshift kitchen.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a tunnel in your basement?” Renjun asked. He pulled the hood of his cloak down, but kept the mask covering half his face on.

“I was aware of a door, but the previous owner told me to never touch it. I just moved in a month ago.” The man motioned to a table with two chairs next to his front door. Renjun graciously sat down. “Why don’t you take your mask off? I’d like to know the face of the person who just broke into my house. That way I can have an ID for when the royal guards show up.”

“You- you couldn’t have gotten in contact with them. Besides the guards don’t give a shit about people anyways, they only exist to protect the King and keep the Prince inside. Other than that they just look scary.” Renjun rolled his eyes. The man scoffed, stabbing his dagger down into the wooden table.

“So I was right, you _are_ the Prince?” He smiled wide, clearly proud of himself for coming to the conclusion. “Then that would mean… that I have a direct tunnel into the palace in my basement?”

“You probably already knew that, judging by what’s in your basement.” Renjun pulled his mask down and threw it across the table.

“No, I actually didn’t ever touch the door.” The man paused, tapping his fingers. “To be honest I’m a bit insulted you would think that’s the only way I could have gotten my hands on my treasures.” Renjun watched as he drummed his fingers on the table. Each finger was decorated with impressive rings, his nails were painted a dark black color. All of his outfit was black, and Renjun could tell by the different garments strewn around the room that all of his _clothes_ were black. The dark clothing, the fact that Renjun couldn’t hear him when he walked, and the stockpile of jewels in the basement led Renjun to only one conclusion. He had found himself in the home of a thief.

“You look familiar, but you still haven’t told me your name.” Renjun stated. “I assume you already know mine, everyone does.”

“Na Jaemin.” Jaemin replied. “And no, not everyone knows your name. You just have it stitched into your shirt.” Jaemin stood up from the table just as the kettle on his stove began to hiss. “Do you like anything in your tea, or do you just drink it plain?”

* * *

Na Jaemin had a normal upbringing, about as normal as anyone could get. His parents were merchants, they had a small store in the town square. Every so often the Queen and her son would buy something from them, the Queen would always pay extra. Jaemin loved when the Queen came into the store, he wasn’t actually allowed to interact with her, but they always had a big meal for dinner afterwards. At times he would find himself sitting in front of their store, staring at the Palace on it’s big hill. He wondered what it must be like to be King. He wondered what the view looked like from way up there, and every year when invitations to the annual masquerade went out he would check the mail constantly. He wanted to stand on the balcony right at the top and see what the Kingdom _really_ looked like.

An invitation never came, and he found himself growing angry with the monarchy as he grew older. His nights spent staring at the palace and dreaming turned to nights spent staring at the palace and cursing the royal family. Not just because of the lack of an invitation, but because he wanted to be one of them. When the Queen died, he mourned her with the rest of the Kingdom. He couldn’t help but feel slightly selfish however when he did. He knew he would miss the extra money she would give them. They lived comfortably in comparison to a lot of other people in the Kingdom, but they still didn’t have much extra to spend. His parents were old, and his siblings were young. In the months following the Queen’s death, business got slow in their store. Because of this, Jaemin took things into his own hands. He began to walk around the market all day, occasionally slipping things into pocket. He would shake hands with a wealthy woman, and then hide her rings under his tongue. Soon however, his small thefts turned into grand heists. He would practice walking around for hours, just to find the perfect way to reduce the sound of his footsteps. His small thefts would then fund his larger ones. He found himself sneaking into balls at the palace, and changing into a servants outfit to make his way down to the vault. He only ever got caught once.

The night Jaemin got caught was one of the most terrifying nights of his life. It was around a year ago, six years after the Queen passed. He had snuck into the ball, and his pockets were full of diamonds. The evening was almost over, and he could already taste the riches that awaited for him as he stood near the exit of the ballroom. The band began to play a slow song. The King was seated on his throne at the front of the room, and he shoved the Prince forward. Presumably, he yelled at the nineteen year old to find a woman to dance with. The Prince’s eyes scanned the room, women who had been left without a partner began to flock to the Prince. His eyes skimmed over their faces, before locking with a man standing by the exit. Across the ballroom, the Prince’s eyes had locked with the eyes of Na Jaemin. He made his way across the room, until he stood directly in front of the thief.

“My father wants me to dance with someone,” Renjun began, before holding a hand out to Jaemin. “May I?”

Jaemin stared in disbelief, before taking the Prince’s hand and being led throughout the crowd to the middle of the floor. The pair waltzed in the middle of the sea of people, the Prince at times glancing over at his father’s bright red face. As they moved, the Prince explained his predicament. How the King wanted him to get married soon, so he refused to dance with any of the many available women. For some reason, a bit of Jaemin broke at his words. Maybe deep down, he had hoped just a little bit that the Prince had wanted to dance with him sincerely. Nonetheless, for the first time, Jaemin understood why people fainted at the Prince’s beauty. How his features all contrasted yet complimented each other, how his eyes would attach to your soul and never let you leave. Jaemin understood why he never wanted the moment to end. He never wanted the band to stop playing. Eventually however, the song came to a shuddering close. The pair bowed to each other, and made their way apart. Truly though, that night would be ingrained in their memories forever.

While Jaemin was stunned, Renjun was equally as enthralled in the moment. He hadn’t just randomly picked Jaemin out from the crowd, he had seen him a few times before. They had met in the market, and each time Renjun wanted to go up to him. He looked interesting, like he had some kind of story that he could tell. He also dressed like no other person in the town square. He faded into the background so easily, and yet Renjun’s eyes fixated on his presence. So while to Jaemin this was a surprise, truthfully the dance was something Renjun had been mentally preparing himself for all night.

* * *

In the time between when the Prince accidentally broke into the thief’s home and when the next ball was planned, the pair began to meet every night. They would sit together in the tunnel, and Jaemin would bring a kettle of hot water and two teacups. Renjun would sneak extra tea from the kitchen during the day and bring it to Jaemin every night. A few days before the ball, Renjun asked Jaemin if he had been invited.

“I’ve never been invited to a ball.” Jaemin replied, pouring the boiling water into the small cups. Renjun looked at him with a confused expression, as they had discussed their dance many times. “Your guards aren’t as good as you think, Renjun.”

Renjun liked it when Jaemin called him by just his first name. Everyone else called him the Prince, and it got to be so boring. Obviously there was nothing normal about their relationship, from the fact that they met for the first time because Jaemin was robbing Renjun, or for the second time when Renjun accidentally broke into Jaemin’s house. Even the fact that every night they met in the catacombs of the castle to have tea was strange. Yet somehow everything felt normal. Conversations between the pair flowed naturally, freely.

“You should come to the ball.” Renjun stated, lifting his cup up to his mouth to take a sip. “It’s probably going to be the last one before I get married.” The sentence sat in the air. Renjun didn’t want to accept it, and neither did Jaemin. They were both fully aware of the tension between them, of the fact that at times they got a bit too close. They both were aware of how brightly both of their cheeks flushed when they once shared a teacup, and Renjun mentioned how his nurse would be disgusted at the fact that he had indirectly kissed someone. The phrase had made Jaemin think, maybe a bit too much, or the possibility of directly kissing Renjun. He wondered if kissing Renjun would be awkward, as the Prince had been so sheltered, or if kissing him would be just as natural as everything else they did. He wondered if their hands would fit together like two puzzle pieces, and he wondered what Renjun looked like in the morning when he first woke up. He wondered what Renjun’s eyes would look like if they could get that close. He wondered if Renjun could also hear the sound of Jaemin’s heart, as it thumped in his ears.

“Do you really have to get married so soon?” Jaemin asked. He knew what Renjun would say already, that to his family marriage wasn’t something they did out of love it was just a formality and that he couldn’t be King along blah blah blah. Jaemin had heard the lecture before, he didn’t want to hear it again. However his heartstrings tugged slightly every time he asked, he couldn’t help but hope that someday Renjun would say he didn’t have to get married.

As the ball approached, their days together were numbered. With each fitting for his new costume that Renjun attended, he couldn’t help but despise the incoming night. For a long time he just didn’t want to get married in general. The thought of being King was nice of course, but he couldn’t help but wonder why he couldn’t just do it alone. However, now he really didn’t want to get married to just anyone. He wanted to get married now, but he wanted to marry Jaemin. His father wanted him to marry any of the many princesses from neighboring kingdoms, and yet Renjun had fixated on the idea of marrying this random thief. This enigmatic boy who dressed in all dark colors, who carried himself with the aura of a cat walking along a windowsill. The two of them had talked together at times, discussing the idea. Not necessarily in the context of them being married, but the thought of running away from the Kingdom. Jaemin had dreams of buying a ship and sailing around the world. Renjun had offered him ships, and his very own spot in the harbor, but Jaemin declined. He would have taken Renjun’s offer, had it been on the table the first night they met. Now though, he didn’t want to leave Renjun in the kingdom. He said he wouldn’t want to miss the wedding for the world, yet in reality the only reason he stayed was because he pondered the possibility of being at that altar with him. It was silly, and it would never work, but it was a possibility.

The night before the ball was difficult. Their conversation felt like a dance, a game in which they both felt as if they were ice skating on a cliff. Their words wove and dove around the inevitable, the reality that this may be the end. They wouldn’t be able to continue this if Renjun was married of course, for the sake of his future wife. However, Jaemin wouldn’t be able to stand it. He hadn’t grown up like Renjun. To him marriage was for two people who decided that they wanted to spend their lives together, not for two people who needed to keep their jobs. It was as if the porcelain of the bottom of their cups was the end, and with each sip it drew nearer. Until the dance, just as elegant as the palace, came to an end. They didn’t say goodbye, they didn’t look at eachother as they parted ways, they just left. It was the way things would have to be, and it was the way things would stay.

* * *

Jaemin awoke to a knock at his door, and a package with a letter. “A gift from the palace.” it read in fancy gold lettering. Inside was a brilliant black suit, with gold trimming and a crimson sash. It was already tailored perfectly, it hugged every corner and edge of Jaemin’s body just right. Being somewhat of a night owl, Jaemin had slept in. The ball began at 6:30, and it was already 2:15.

At the palace preparations had been well underway all day long. Every inch of the palace had been swept, cleaned, and polished. The grandiose ballroom was empty, aside from tables covered in white linen clothes lining the walls, and the three massive thrones at the head of the room. As Renjun admired the palace, his father snuck up behind him.

“It’ll all be yours soon.” He stated, placing a hand upon his son’s shoulder. Renjun sighed, shrugging his father away.

“What if I don’t _want_ it.” He hissed. His father’s grip tightened.

“Do you really think,” He paused, calculating his words. “That I care about what you want, over what's good for this Kingdom?” His words stabbed Renjun in the heart. All this time, everything the King had ever done was not for the Kingdom, but for himself. He could feel it in his bones, that the King was lying through his teeth. Renjun walked away from his father.

“Try to have fun tonight, old man.” He said with a smile, as he turned around to face him. “It’s a party! Loosen up.”

* * *

The first guests began to file in around 6:35. A majority of them were other royal families, as per the usual at balls of this type. Quickly, within the hour, the ballroom was full and the kitchen had finally finished bustling. Renjun sat at his throne, reading. Occasionally he would look up and scan the crowd, looking for Jaemin. His father would nudge his shoulder often, telling him to find someone to dance with.

“You find someone to dance with.” Renjun would reply, not looking up from his book. “You’re just as single as I am.”

Jaemin didn’t arrive until 8:00. The trip to the palace shouldn’t have taken him as long, however truthfully he didn’t want to go. Quickly, he made his way through the ballroom. Renjun spotted him not too long after Jaemin had reached the center of the dancefloor. Their eyes locked once again in the ballroom, just like that first night. Renjun jumped up from his throne, racing into the crowd. Before he could even get a word in, Renjun grabbed Jaemin’s hand and dragged him out of the room. For the record, their hands did fit together just as Jaemin thought they might.

“Where are you taking me?” Jaemin asked, nearly tripping behind Renjun.

“On a tour!” Renjun exclaimed as they reached the main stairwell. Renjun then led Jaemin throughout the massive building. Through each and every marble archway, and up and down every spiral stairway. Through the library, in which he showed Jaemin his favorite books. Through the kitchen, in which he introduced Jaemin to his favorite cooks. To the closet that had previously belonged to his mother, in which he showed Jaemin all the impressive silks hung up on their golden hooks.

Jaemin’s favorite part however, was when they made their way to the attic. The very top floor of the house was barren, with only a few lights and a couch that probably cost half of what Jaemin’s home was worth. But the best part was the balcony. The late night wind blew through their hair and sung in their ears like angels. Their minds went fuzzy, as they stared over the kingdom. Jaemin thought of his childhood. He thought of all the nights he had spent sitting in front of the shop. He thought of how badly he wanted to go to a ball. He thought of the way that from way up there, the town square was so small. The people who lived there had all gone to sleep, and yet Jaemin and Renjun found themselves above it all, yet under the moonlight. Renjun looked to Jaemin. He looked at how the moonlight caressed his features, how his smile stretched from ear to ear. He looked at how the wind had pushed his hair back, yet it still perfectly framed his face. Up on the balcony, it all seemed so clear. The whole world below them was irrelevant, the ball was irrelevant, his father was irrelevant. As he turned Jaemin’s body to face his, as he placed his hands on the other’s face, as he pressed their lips together in the moonlight, he knew this was meant to be. This wasn’t a business arrangement, this could be his world. This was going to be his world.

They stayed like that for a moment, feeling waves of emotions crashing down on them, feeling their senses flood. They didn’t speak, the silence spoke for itself. Looking out over the kingdom, their eyes both landed on the harbor.

“Are we doing this?” Jaemin asked, his smile dulling. Renjun waited a moment before responding. They had both been confined to this Kingdom forever, but now on the balcony they realized that there were no rules.

_“Let’s see the world.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Tysm for reading this far! I know this was pretty long, but I had fun writing it hahah. You can follow my twt @KUNHIMBO if you'd like, or if you just want updates about my writing my writing account is @flnalround. Kudos, comments, and bookmarks are of course appreciated. <3 Also!! Thank you to @sungieflrt on twt for telling me about this au (even though I changed it a bit hahah)


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